Danwei may appear to be a particularly Chinese way of organising living and working space in an urban environment. However, villages in many other parts of the world were traditionally mapped out - deliberately or organically - in similar (though not the same) ways. In addition, many towns and cities were built around businesses, from car-manufacturing in the US to chocolate making in Dunedin (Cadbury). There is now interest in re-creating urban villages, with one recent example being the
Transition Town movement. Do you think the danwei model is something non-Chinese cities could learn from, and what would the difficulties in pursuing danwei in a non-Chinese setting? (The hyperlink for danwei is to a book that gives a brief overview to refresh your memory as to what danwei are. I've also posted a paper on Cecil for you to have a look through).